MANSFIELD – The Mid-Ohio ESC held its High School Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) and School Psychology Mentorship Program Celebration on May 7.
The half-day event brought together students, mentors, educators and community partners to celebrate the achievements and future contributions of local high school SLP and School Psychology mentees.
The morning began with breakfast and networking, followed by a warm welcome from Mid Ohio ESC Superintendent Kevin Kimmel.
The program, structured as an internship, provided students with 60 hours of immersive career preparation experiences including 20 hours of job shadowing and a curriculum designed to explore various topics surrounding these career fields.
Under the guidance of their mentors, students engaged in speech language and school psychology activities to get a more in depth exploration of what the day-to-day experience is in these fields.
At the celebration event, students shared their experience through white board presentations.
Presentations by Elina Gilland, a Speech Language Pathology and Social Computing major at Mount St. Joseph University and Shelby Keever, a Psychology major at St. Norbert College, helped students understand the college coursework needed to become an SLP and the job opportunities in the field.
Mentors were also recognized for their vital role in supporting the internship process and shaping the next generation of professionals in the field.
Attendees then enjoyed engaging presentations from high school participants across Ashland, Crawford, Morrow and Richland counties who shared their learning experiences under the guidance of practicing SLP and School Psychology mentors.
The event concluded with a mentor recognition by Eric Turlo, Director of Student Services, pictures and student displays.
Each mentee in the 2026 Speech Language Pathology and School Psychology Mentorship Program earned a $500 internship stipend on behalf of The Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center Board of Governors. Congratulations to the following recipients:
Nora Ball, Lexington Local Schools; Dylan Coppler, Bucyrus City Schools; Emma Graves (year 2), Bucyrus City Schools; Eva Hadsell, Ontario Local Schools; Autumn Miller, Galion City Schools; Rilyn Mott, Highland Local Schools; Emma Reynolds, Madison Local Schools; Sylvia Secrist (year 2), Lexington Local Schools; Kahlen Simmons, Hillsdale Local Schools; and Polly Taylor, Lexington Local Schools.
The Mid-Ohio SLP and School Psychology Career Mentorship Development Team, comprised of Director of Student Services Eric Turlo, High School Mentorship Coordinator Kevin Fourman; and Mid-Ohio ESC Regional SLP Consultant Johanna Gilland, Mid-Ohio ESC School Psychology Regional Consultant, Kylie Dennison-Rebon and School Psychology Mentorship Consultant Julia Pilla who helped to develop the School Psychology Modules.
Structured as a paid internship with individualized career mentoring, this program is aligned to the Mid-Ohio ESC’s Business Advisory Council’s Quality Practices and is designed to support the growth and career aspirations of the SLP and School Psychology High School Student Mentees.